Over the fireplace is the most requested TV location we see in family rooms across Bethesda, Potomac, McLean and DC. It can look great and last for years, but brick and stone fireplaces raise four questions you should answer before drilling.
1. Is it too hot?
Heat rising from a wood-burning or gas fireplace can exceed what a TV is designed to tolerate. Check your TV manufacturer's operating temperature range and placement guidance. A deep mantel helps deflect heat. With the fireplace running for a while, carefully check how warm the wall gets where the TV would go. If it's uncomfortable to keep your hand there, it's too hot for electronics.
2. Is it too high?
Above a mantel, a TV can easily end up well above comfortable eye level. Pull-down mounts that lower the screen when you watch, and tilting mounts that angle it down, are the usual answers. We check the height from your seating with you before deciding.
3. What is the fireplace actually made of?
- Full brick or solid stone. Strong once you're properly anchored into the masonry itself. Anchors belong in solid brick or stone, not mortar joints.
- Thin stone or brick veneer. Many newer fireplaces use veneer adhered to a backer over framing. Veneer isn't designed to carry a TV on its own, so the mount must anchor through it into the structure behind.
- Plaster over brick. Common in older DC rowhouses. Drill through the plaster and anchor into the brick.
Use a masonry bit, and a hammer drill only where appropriate for the material. Use sleeve anchors or masonry screws rated for the load, with a mount rated for your TV.
4. Where do the wires go?
Never run cables inside a chimney flue. Masonry rarely allows in-wall runs, so the common options are a slim raceway painted to match, running cables down the side of the chimney breast, or a new outlet and recessed box installed by a licensed electrician where the construction allows. Placing the cable box or streaming device in a nearby cabinet keeps the mantel clean.
Soundbars and the mantel
A soundbar can sit on the mantel or mount directly under the TV. Plan the mount height with the soundbar in mind so neither crowds the mantel.
Leave it to us
We mount TVs on brick, stone and plaster fireplaces every week. See professional TV mounting, or local pages for Bethesda, Potomac and McLean. If you have plaster walls too, read mounting a TV on plaster.